1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? Country folkways The difficulties of life Disillusionment The optimistic view that God will save humanity 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Hardy's fictional literary landscape Hardy's town of origin Current day South England Ancient Southwestern England 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1912 1879 1898 1900 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? W.H. Auden George Eliot Robert Frost Philip Larkin 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The speaker's preference for a muted palette The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The speaker's true sense of passivity The neutral imagery and mood in the poem 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? After breaking up with his ex-partner, the speaker maintains a facade of passivity that does not quite manage to conceal his bitterness. The speaker suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. The speaker has read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." The speaker is finally able to heal from his past relationship and embark on a new one. 7 What is true about the speaker's partner? She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. She suffered more than the speaker did. She has blue eyes. She left a devastating impression on the speaker as a result of the break-up. 8 Define "rove." (noun) a grouping of ash trees (noun) a secret place in a forest (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? auspicious lucky futuristic threatening 10 In which season is the poem set? Unspecified Summer Spring Winter 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Optimism of Love Love, Loss, and Disillusionment The Persistence of Memories The Facade of Neutrality 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? curses casts conceals chides 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? hides chides curses celebrates 14 What does the starving sod represent? The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. Humans don't know how to farm efficiently. The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. The ground of the speaker's relationship to his ex is sterile, as is the speaker's capacity for new love. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Cycles, rest, and family Death, hibernation, and endings Cookies, Santa, and celebration 16 What is revealed in the first line? The ending of the relationship The setting and the facade of neutrality The ex-lover's smile The speaker's angry bitterness 17 Define "keen." (adjective) sharp and well-defined (adjective) neutral (adjective) disengenuous (noun) a heartfelt cry 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? AABB ABCD The poem does not rhyme ABBA 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets None 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? A blackbird singing in a tree An ominous bird taking flight A crow coming home to roost A raven arriving at one's doorstep 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. Love is cruel but it pays off. 22 What is polysyndeton? The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis A literary device in which one word refers in part to another The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook A kind of metaphor 23 Which is not a symbol in the poem? The white sun Winter The yellow sun The ex-partner's smile 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "The change was like the knell" "And the sun was white, as though chidden of God" "Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove / Over tedious riddles of years ago" "And a grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God Spiritualistic Agnostic, but complexly so Evangelical Christian